BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday introduced an online system for submission of planning approval and other statutory documents by property owners using residential buildings for commercial purposes.
The civic body has asked the property owners to submit the documents online within 15 days of receiving the show cause notice. The online facility will be available from August 8 (Saturday), allowing property owners to upload approved building plans, planning permissions, occupancy or completion certificates and other supporting documents.
BMC officials said following the public notice in July-end, individual notices are now being issued to the owners of residential properties operating shops, hostels, hotels, educational institutions, hospitals, clinics or other commercial establishments without obtaining the required approvals from it or the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA).
BMC additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Das said the online system has been introduced to simplify compliance and create a digital record of approved commercial establishments. The documents can be submitted online on BMC portal or Bhubaneswar One portal.
After a citywide survey and physical verification, the civic body has identified 4,632 properties allegedly involved in unauthorised commercial use or modification of their residential plot for the same purpose without approval from authority concerned. The list includes a number of prominent government and private institutions, educational establishments, hospitals, hotels and private companies.
Civic officials said the notices have been issued on the basis of the directions of the SC in which the apex court has ordered urban local bodies to take immediate action against unauthorised constructions, deviations from sanctioned building plans and illegal conversion of residential buildings for commercial use.
They said the unauthorised commercial use of residential premises also violate the provisions of the Odisha Development Authorities (ODA) Act, 1982 and the Planning and Building Standards Regulations.
The BMC list has, however, sparked widespread resentment, with many questioning the survey process. While officials of public institutions have started questioning on what basis they have been identified as residential property and served notice for commercial use, individual households and property owners have sought to know why the civic body was collecting holding tax from them at commercial rate, if the commercial use of their property was illegal.
A senior official from Pathani Samanta Planetarium said the institution was established on land belonging to the Science and Technology department for educational purposes. It would respond after formally receiving the notice from the civic body, the officer said.
Real estate expert Bimalendu Pradhan questioned on what basis did the civic body issue trade licence to such commercial establishments, if they were meant for residential use.
The BMC additional commissioner clarified that the notices have been served only on the basis of commercial use of the properties. Establishments possessing valid planning approval for such use will be removed from the list once the required documents are submitted and verified, he said.